Saturday, November 29, 2008

Circus World Museum 1984 #2


Scan11005, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

2. Bob Parkinson, then acting director of CWM, watches me doing a tap dance for the TV crew before a wagon we eventually restored.

Posted by Buckles at 11/29/2008 06:12:00 AM

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't this the old Buffalo Bill ticket wagon?

At least they have moved it indoors at this point; I remember it being outside for the longest.

29 November, 2008 08:23
Anonymous said...

Dave,
I always thought that Chappie left the pile of wood outside to get someone to donate enough money to restore this wagon and others that needed a lot of work. I always thought that that was the sign of a master fund raiser and showman.
Bob Kitto

29 November, 2008 19:35
Anonymous said...

Frankly, if I were a potential donor and saw this sitting outside, I'd wonder why it wasn't stored inside to protect it from further decay if it was worthy of anyone's money for restoration. I'd hate to think I was going to pay for additional years of neglect while under the care of a museum!

I admire Chappie for lots of reasons and he hired me to work at CWM his last year so don't mis-understand me but it was a puzzle as to why it sat where it did for so long.

I wonder if this wagon is really a reconstruction rather than a restoration.

Dick Flint
Baltimore

29 November, 2008 21:48
Anonymous said...

Well, actually Bill Schultz was the guy that left this relic sitting outside to garner contributions. At one point, while he was attending a CFA convention he called back to CWM- had Marv move it into the shop- and told all that "it was in the shop" and then made a pitch for restoration money. THAT Bob, is the sign of a "master something".
Flint

30 November, 2008 02:27
Anonymous said...

I donated the large Bandwagon from the 1955 King Bros Circus to Circus World Museum in the early seventies. Charlie Luckey built the Bandwagon and supposedly it was the last Bandwagon ever built for a tented circus giving daily parades. The Museum promised me that the Bandwagon would be restored to its former glory and how happy they were to receive the wagon. I have newspaper documents that this would be their next project for restortation. Each time I checked with the museum about the progress of the restortation - the story changed to - we only restore the wagons which fit into the particular plans of the museum for that year. Long story short - Nothing was ever done to restore the wagon - And to further insult the donation - yes the wagon was left outside in the harsh Wiconsin winters for who knows how long. The last time I checked - supposedly the wagon had been moved inside - I wonder if anything is even left of the Bandwagon. None of the horror stories surprise me - For future donors to ANY museum - My advice would be to put it ON LOAN as opposed to an outright donation. In the thirty-five or so years the museum has had the Bandwagon they only communication I have had from them was when I wrote them first. So be careful when you think about donations to any museum - you don't always get what is promised. Thanks Charles L. Hanson

30 November, 2008 10:06
Anonymous said...

This story about the museum disturbs me greatly. Why do they keep these incredible pieces of circus history sitting outside rotting in the harsh Wisconsin winters? I believe I read that they were vandelized this year and wagons were damamged and a fire was also set. Why doesen't the wagon master there keep on top of things like this. Is there not security at this museum. I thought it was owned by the great state of Wisconsin? Can't they find monies to sucure and restore these treasures? I thank Mr. Ingrassia and Mr. C. Fox for sharing these images with the web blog.

Sincerely,

Glenn Landany

30 November, 2008 16:37
GaryHill said...

Where is Dick Brown and his Security Blackboots now?

01 December, 2008 09:05
Anonymous said...

In answer to Dick Flints question concerning restoration/re-construction. The only original parts we were able to save were some irons from the undergear and a couple of the decorative filigree trim pieces in the ceiling. The rest, including the wheels, was all brand new.

This next statement is not in defense of any policies but rather a mere statement of fact. Let's all remember the condition of this particular wagon when it was first delivered to CWM so many years ago. The ticket window area had been removed and squared off along with smaller wheels being attached. Chicken wire was nailed on the wagon because the farmer had used it as a chicken coop for quite a number of years. The chickens didn't care and neither did the farmer. When it was no longer good enough to house the chickens is when thw CWM acquired it. I wholeheartedly agree that it did sit around too long on public exhibition in the deplorable state that it was in, chicken feces and all.
Flint

01 December, 2008 14:23
Anonymous said...

Thanks, Steve Flint, for the news of the BBWW ticket wagon—so it’s a nice reconstruction but without historic integrity. Down the road, wagons with far more historic components deserve priority in the repair shops. When I worked at CWM in the 1972-74 period, the wagon didn’t have as much to it compared to, seemingly, this later photo. Perhaps the lack of this wagon’s integrity was one reason treatment was so long deferred.

This is yet another example of an apparent unseen pressure CWM was long under to have yet more wagons to parade. When I worked at CWM, it was the end of the great wagon acquisition era and I sensed a concern emerging about maintaining such an incredible track record that had made Chappie legendary. Perhaps, this ticket wagon was one more way that the museum’s limited resources were stretched but who could have known at the time?

As to Mr. Landany’s comments, I believe that no historic wagons were damaged in the recent vandalism. I believe that an alarm system was in place, just as there was when I worked there 35 years ago. As to any organization seeking money, it is a hotly contested item in terms of fundraising. And as far as state assistance, most people only wish to see their taxes cut each year, further straining government resources. Where to give, how to give, and when to give are society’s choices so we should all look inward.

Regarding Mr. Hanson’s comments, most museums do not accept loans unless the object is needed for a particular exhibit. With museums already strained, why should they provide free storage to a privately owned item? In fact, in my career, I’m aware of promised gifts on loan on which the supposed donor reneged. As to the promises made and care given, maybe the problem was with available resources and fund-raising. Of course, I know nothing of the details of this donation but we’ve learned that CWM has had difficulties for a long time and maybe this was an early warning sign.

As to where and how it was stored, collection care is one reason why the American Association of Museums has an accreditation program—to set professional standards for all museums and to accredit those that achieve it and then to revisit those institutions every ten years for re-accreditation.

Dick Flint
Baltimore

01 December, 2008 21:08

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